What Is an Adapter Nut?
Adapter nuts are specialized components used in conjunction with adapter sleeves and lock washers, collectively known as adapters. These components are essential in the installation and maintenance of spherical ball bearings and spherical roller bearings, particularly those with tapered bores in their inner rings. Adapter nuts facilitate easy mounting, dismounting, and securing of these bearings.
These nuts, often synonymous with bearing nuts and lock nuts, feature a female thread on the inside diameter. The outside diameter is designed with 4 to 8 notches evenly spaced around the circumference, allowing for the use of specialized tools for tightening and loosening.
Uses of Adapter Nuts
Adapter nuts are primarily used for securing the inner rings of spherical ball bearings and spherical roller bearings onto shafts. They are crucial in ensuring these bearings are fixed in position, which is particularly important in applications such as angular contact ball bearings. Here, adapter nuts, along with lock washers, are used to firmly attach the bearings to the shaft. Tightening and adjustments are typically done using a wrench with a special hook or a socket tool designed to fit the nut’s notches.
Principle of the Adapter Nut
The Adapter Nut functions by securing the bearing to the shaft. The adapter itself has a tapered outer diameter, with a smaller hole at the side where the nut is installed and a larger hole on the opposite side. The bearing’s inner diameter also has a corresponding tapered hole. When the Adapter Nut is turned and tightened, it pushes the bearing’s inner ring inward, tightening the fit between the adapter’s outer diameter and the bearing’s inner diameter, thus securing the bearing in place. A lock washer, positioned between the adapter nut and bearing inner ring, has outer teeth that align with the notches in the adapter nut. These teeth are bent into the notches to prevent the bearing from rotating or loosening.